‘Stop this nonsense and tell me what’s happening.’
Larry watches as the door is ripped away from the white walls and the lurkers enter. The general, Agent Flinch and the bravest of men fire everything they have, but it does very little to stop this newest and perhaps final onslaught. Larry turns to Lopez, who continues running towards him, no doubt determined to do what he might fail to do. Everyone else is screaming at the beasts as she is screaming at him, but he doesn’t hear what she is saying. He lifts up the glass cover, his hand shaking, as the red button flashes and presents itself to him.
‘David, I love you with all my heart and I always will. That love has guided me this far and I won’t let it change what I know is right. Knowledge is our greatest asset and our collective determination our biggest power, so please spread the word.’
David answers back – of course he does. He tells Larry he loves him and that the decision he makes will be the right one. He tells him that Larry’s ethos that a job should be done properly, or not at all, will help him lead the humanity down the right path.
But David cannot see what is happening, cannot understand just how little time Larry actually has to make this big decision. Doing something or doing nothing are equally important, and as Larry hears David’s voice, he sees his own reflection in Lopez’s eyes, as she leaps over chairs to get to him. He already knows that she will never make it in time, never be able step in and do what she believes is right, because although she’s near to him, one of the lurkers is just as close, yet it’s far more deadly than she could ever be.
He sees it now, the face of his judgement – its body is covered in scales and fur that lines its back. Its eyes are as red as the blood that flows through his veins, and this creation from the depths of hell is charging at him like he’s the most important man left alive. Larry has always wondered about his end, about what would happen afterwards; he just never expected that everyone would meet the same fate at the same time as him. His life has always been his own, his decisions so small and limited to such a tiny part of a bigger realm he never bothered to ask about. He knows he’s not alone in having these thoughts, but he also knows he could have done much more, and now it’s too late because this world of so many individuals has come to an end, and everyone is fighting just to exist.
He can still hear David talking, as he looks at the woman and then the beast, both of who seem to see the best and worst in him. And so with one shaking hand above the button he closes his eyes and says out loud, for all to hear, ‘welcome to the apocalypse.’
The end… Hope not!
If you look on Wikipedia there are 153 detailed accounts of what would happen at the end of the world (as of May 2015), ranging from 66 CE through to 2013 AD. There are a further 15 future predictions, with the next one being September 2015 (if this book got published and you’re reading it from a cave, or a zombie shelter, then best of luck to you) And then 2020 seems the next most exciting end for those of us who are still hanging around. If you’re interested then take a look on Wikipedia for yourself (just search end of world future predictions). I was especially intrigued to see that the Doomsday Argument says that we have about 9120 years left as a human race (that’s not too bad, is it?), whilst another prediction says the earth will run out of carbon dioxide in about 500,000,000 years, give or take a millennium or so.
So, hopefully we have a little bit of time left before we all get wiped out, but we may never really know when our end is coming. And what should we do with this remaining time, however long it is? Should we reach for the stars and spread mankind across the galaxy, ensuring our future survival as we suck dry a few more planets? Maybe we’ll discover spiritual enlightenment and all transcend to a higher astral plain, or maybe we’ll download all our brains into a very big computer and become some sort of crazy collective, all talking at the same time, hoping to somehow be heard through all that noise?
Maybe someone knows the answer and maybe no one does but more importantly, what will you do with the unknown time that you have left?
THANKS :-)
I start as always by thanking Laura O’Toole and Rose Hicks for reading my work, offering their thoughts and above all just believing in me. Without both of you I don’t know where I would start each time I embark on the crazy idea of writing another book.
Thanks to all my friends who gave me encouragement, support or even the odd distraction. All of these things mean so much. And finally, thanks to anyone and everyone who has supported me so far, either through buying my books or simply passing on a good word. It’s all appreciated!
ABOUT LEE KERR
This is Lee’s third book and one of his ten bright ideas to be published by 2020.
He lives in London and works full time. You might spot him one day tapping away on his next big story in a coffee shop somewhere. If you see him you should say hello as he doesn’t have many fans. You can see what he looks like and learn more about his work at www.leekerr.net. He’s a bit of a dreamer, sometimes funny, but not when he laughs at his own jokes. He’s got this crazy idea that we’re all chasing something – a dream, a career, money, love, or just a better tomorrow. Do you think he’s right?
If you enjoyed this book then you can find his others in all the usual places, or you can…
Follow him on twitter @leekerrwrites
Like him on facebook.com/leekerr.writes
Check out www.leekerr.net for some random reading group questions.
Or simply tell a friend.
Whatever you’re chasing, do it with a smile ;-)
ALSO BY LEE KERR
Meet Ryan, the guy who has it all – the body, the girls, and the perfect pad in Canary Wharf. His career at Global United Eradication is flawless, as he helps them in their quest to sanitise the entire planet.
He’s climbing his way up that golden ladder and doesn’t care about the lives or the past stories of those around him. He’s playing to win; competing against a shadow set by his father, and trying to please his ever-demanding boss. Even when he struggles through his daily routine, fighting against endless traffic and tube delays, he thinks only about his future. And with the help of his crazy friend, Ken, they plan to break as many of the company rules as needed to beat that long corporate queue to the top.
But as his boss’s demands become more sinister, Ryan finds out that the past he had no interest in is very much alive. As he uncovers a darker part of Global United Eradication, those who gave him his lifestyle ask for too much in return, and he realises that he must put things right and help the people he previously climbed all over. With no one around him that he can trust and time running out, he learns that having it all can still mean you have nothing.
Of all the things you could chase, what would it be?
As Josh celebrates his twenty-ninth birthday, his closest friend gives him a ring with a simple inscription: Chasing 30. It’s supposed to be a message to tell Josh to chase something more than his talented career, to stop running from his past, and to embrace the world he has hidden on the edge of for so long. It’s a plea that asks Josh to accept his sexuality and to recognise their friendship for what it could be.